CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! austin moon

CHAPTER FIFTEEN, best prom night ever

Delaney led him outside, where the night air was cool and refreshing. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage once more. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. But why did it have to be so nerve-wracking? She let go of his wrist, beginning to pace in front of him out of nerves. "Okay, um, I have to tell you something and I'm scared." She confessed, her heart pounding.

"Scared? Of me?" Austin's tone was playful, but Delaney could sense a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Never you." She reassures him, giving him a small, tentative smile. "It's just...this is hard for me to say, so please don't freak out or run away."

"Okay," Austin's brows furrows, but he nodded. "I won't, I promise."

"Okay," Delaney takes a deep breath, steadying herself. She had to get the words out. It was now or never. "So, the truth is, I...I'm in love with you, actually, more than that. I love you. And I have for a long time now, but I've been so scared and nervous and worried and anxious about it. I didn't want to risk our friendship, so I've been keeping it a secret, and it's been killing me inside. I can't keep it to myself anymore. I had to tell you. So...there. That's it. I'm in love with you. I have been since the first day I met you. You're the sweetest, most amazing, kindest, and most loving guy I've ever met. Plus you're really good looking, like super attractive-"

"Laney-" Austin tried after getting over his flustered and shocked state, but she continued.

"And the worst part is, you're my best friend. I'm so scared that I just ruined everything with us because of this stupid confession. It's so scary, and it hurts, and I wish I could just go back to pretending that my feelings weren't there, but they are and I can't keep ignoring them anymore. So I had to tell you, even if it meant losing you. I love you, Austin Monica Moon, and I can't lose you. I just can't-"

She let out a gasp that interrupts her sentence when she's suddenly pinned against the wall after he had grabbed her wrists to make her stop talking. He looked down at her, his gaze intense and heated, causing her to gulp and bite her lip nervously. He had her trapped and her heart raced with excitement and nervousness. 

"W-Why did you do that?" She managed to stutter out, trying to keep her breathing steady.

"To shut you up." Austin answered, his voice low and steady, but there was a glint of something unreadable in his eyes. Delaney's breath hitched as she tried to process what was happening. She had spent so long imagining how he might react, but this...This was unexpected.

Delaney's eyes widen, her cheeks burning. "Oh, um...W-Well, it worked-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence before he closes the distance between them, pressing his lips firmly against hers. His grip on her wrists tightened slightly, now one hand holding them as the other moved to cup her face. She didn't react for a moment, the shock overwhelming her senses. But then, it sunk in. He was kissing her. Austin was kissing her. Her best friend, the boy she had been pining for since forever, was finally kissing her. Delaney's heart skipped a beat, her body tingling all over. She kissed him back eagerly, her eyes closing as she relaxed into his touch.

The kiss was unlike anything she had ever imagined. It was soft and sweet, but full of passion and heat. His lips were warm and tasted like the soda he had been drinking. Her body felt like it was on fire, her heart hammering in her chest. Every nerve ending was alight with electricity, her skin tingling wherever his touch lingered. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She was floating, her mind reeling as their lips moved in perfect sync. She had never felt more alive, more awake, more aware. The world seemed to stop, her worries and fears melting away. All that mattered was the two of them, locked in their own little world, the rest of the world forgotten.